The simplest things often bring us the most joy, and contain the most important lessons. Like the little red ball. Before I explain why it has been such a source of inspiration, a brief description is in order. Slightly smaller than a tennis ball, it’s hollow and made of tough, springy rubber with hexagonal patterns. This makes it easy to grab and squeeze. It also has a lar 
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What do franchisees and franchisors care most deeply about? Each year we conduct research to answer this question. One hot topic for franchisees, is the need for more consultation before important decisions are made. Consultation is not consensus Contrary to popular belief, consultation does not mean getting everyone’s agreement to a decision, or even involving others d 
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I recently met with a young franchise executive who was about to be promoted to head up an established franchise network. She'd been with the network for some time and we were discussing leaders she’d worked for - some great and some not so great - and what she’d learned from watching them. When I asked, based on her experience, what advice she’d give to herself as the new  
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I had some fun on the weekend editing an academic journal article, based on a large study FRI conducted into the factors that drive franchisee success and satisfaction. The findings from this research are especially important for franchisor teams responsible for leading, supporting and recruiting franchisees. The only three things that matter Let’s start with a de 
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In recent months we have been running a research project investigating how franchise networks are fighting margin compression. This is where costs are rising faster than sales. As part of the study we asked senior franchisor executives what their highest performing franchisees are doing that is enabling them to achieve superior sales performance. We then analysed and themed 
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A recent international cricket scandal, where senior members of the Australian cricket team used sandpaper to rough up one side of the cricket ball, has deeply upset many Australians. Even our Prime Minister publically expressed his indignation. (Tampering with the ball in this way gives the bowler an unfair competitive advantage). Our distress was not about the little red  
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I’ve always been a messy person. Crumbs on floors, scuffs on shoes, smudges on windows — these things don’t bother me. And for years I have lived in peace with my mess. Then two weeks ago my wife had the cataracts removed from her eyes. At first I was delighted when I heard her comment enthusiastically “Look at that!” But now I cringe, because I no longer get away 
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Since founding the Franchise Relationships Institute 28 years ago I have been advocating that a mutually profitable partnership must be at the core of franchising. So I have not had a problem with the recent focus by the Australian media on poor franchise leadership practices by specific brands. I do however have a big problem with the way the media has been attacking the f 
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Because the Winter Olympics are ending, I thought it would be timely to share a few insights I gleaned from a workshop I attended with Aerial Ski coach, Dustin Wilson, on the psychology of high performance. Dustin has taken a number of skiers to Olympic gold, so he had my attention. There are many applications here for good franchise leadership, both for senior executives a 
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Franchising in Australia has been getting a bad run in the media lately. Imagine the media coverage if Australian franchisors decided to stop franchising. What might this look like? NATION TREMBLES AS FRANCHISING CLOSES The announcement that Australian franchisors are closing down their franchised operations has sent shock waves through the business and wider community 
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